_Fossils are the remains or evidence of ancient plants or animals that
have been preserved in the rocks of the earth’s crust._ Most fossils
represent the preservable hard parts of some prehistoric organism that
once lived in the area in which the remains were collected.
The word fossil is derived from the Latin word _fossilis_, meaning “dug
up,” and for many years any unusual object dug out of the ground was
considered to be a “fossil.” For this reason some of the earlier books
dealing with fossils include discussions of rocks, minerals, and other
inorganic objects.
There is much evidence to indicate that man has been interested in
fossils since the very earliest times, and fossil shells, bones, and
teeth have been found associated with the remains of primitive and
prehistoric men. It is quite possible that the owners of these objects
believed that they possessed supernatural powers, such as healing
properties or the ability to remove curses.
During the earliest periods of recorded history, certain Greek scholars
found the remains of fish and sea shells in desert and mountainous
regions. These men were greatly puzzled by the occurrence of these
objects at such great distances from the sea, and some of them devoted
considerable time to an explanation of their presence.
In 450 B.C., Herodotus noticed fossils in the Egyptian desert and
correctly concluded that the Mediterranean Sea had once been in that
area.
Aristotle in 400 B.C. stated that fossils were organic in origin but
that they were embedded in the rocks as a result of mysterious plastic
forces at work within the earth. One of his students, Theophrastus
(about 350 B.C.), also believed that fossils represented some form of
life but thought that they had developed from seeds or eggs that had
been planted in the rocks.
Strabo (about 63 B.C. to A.D. 20) was another important Greek scholar
who attempted to explain the presence of fossils. He noted the
occurrence of marine fossils well above sea level and correctly inferred
that the rocks containing them had been subjected to considerable
elevation.
During the “Dark Ages” fossils were alternately explained as freaks of
nature, the remains of attempts at special creation, and devices of the
devil which had been placed in the rocks to lead men astray. These
superstitious beliefs and the opposition from religious authorities
hindered the study of fossils for hundreds of years.
In approximately the middle of the fifteenth century the true origin of
fossils was generally accepted, and they were considered to be the
remains of prehistoric organisms which had been preserved in the earth’s
crust. With the definite recognition of fossils as organic remains, many
of the more primitive theories were discarded for one just as
impractical—these remains were considered remnants of the Great Flood as
recorded in the Scriptures. The resulting controversy between scientists
and theologians lasted for about 300 years.
During the Renaissance several of the early natural scientists concerned
themselves with investigations of fossils. Noteworthy among these was
Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian artist, naturalist, and engineer.
Leonardo insisted that the Flood could not be responsible for all
fossils nor for their occurrence in the highest mountains. He reaffirmed
the belief that fossils were indisputable evidence of ancient life, and
that the sea had once covered northern Italy. Leonardo explained that
the remains of the animals that had inhabited this ancient body of water
were buried in the sediments of the sea floor, and that at some later
date in earth history this ocean bottom was elevated well above sea
level to form the Italian peninsula.
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the study of
fossils became firmly established as a science, and since that time
fossils have become increasingly important to the geologist.